one last chance. >> this is just a few weeks ago that you indicated we should still have troops in iraq. >> no, i didn't, i'm sorry. that's -- i indicated -- >> barack obama and mitt romney face off on foreign policy and the united states' role in the world. the two men running for president of the united states sat down across the table. they took turns criticizing each other. barack obama and mitt romney met in boca raton, florida, two weeks before americans go to the polls. they exchanged differing views about the u.s. foreign policy. >> we ended the war in iraq, refocused our attention on those who actually killed us on 9/11. and as a consequence, al qaeda's core leadership has been decimated.

in addition, we're now able to transition out of afghanistan in a responsible way, making sure that afghans take responsibility for their own security. >> what's been happening over the last couple of years is as we've watched this tumult in the middle east, rising tide of chaos occur, you see al qaeda, rushing in, you see other jihadist groups rushing in. they're throughout many nations in the middle east. they argued over policy in libya, syria and iran and romney criticized obama's foreign policy as a failure and said the u.s. should take a leading roll. a cnn poll taken after the debate, suggests 48% of respondents believed obama won, 40% said romney did. the united nations peacekeeping chief says the u.n. is making plans to send peacekeepers to syria. the blue helmets would only move in if the government and opposition force as greed s agr

cease-fire. he said first u.n. leaders are focused on establishing a truce. the u.n. arab league envoy to syria met with bashar al-assad. assad put several conditions on a cease-fire. >> this peacekeeping is a partnership, global partnership between the security council, member states and secretariat. collective low we have to continue focussing on the meeting the demands of needs. >> he said it is still too early to tell how many peacekeepers might be deployed. the u.n. sent about 400 unarmed observers and monitors to syria in april. they were forced to leave in august due to safety concerns. fighting has spilled into lebon.

roll iters ne -- lebanon. reuters reports seven people were killed. those who back the opposition, ran into lebanese government troupes in beirut. in the northern scity of tripol. the assassination last week of a syrian officer was triggered the fighting. pro assad forces in lebanon are believed to have killed him as an act of retaliation. hezbollah and groups support assad. most suni muslims want him to step down. tow makers around the globe are presenting their cars. brazil has the the world's fourth largest auto market. u.s. giant general motors unveiled the low priced compact car developed for the brazilian market.

gm said it will go on sale next month. honda showing a revised version of the compact car, tailored to the taisz stes of consumers. the plan to invest $50 million in developing new cars in the country over the next two years. brazil its a very important market for us with its strong economic growth. we will manufacture products that cater to the needs of local consumers. our plan is to use brazilian-made materials by investing in local development and production. toyota displaying the new car released last month. the 50 participating automakers are vying for big shares in the brazilian market. new vehicle sales there exceeded 3.6 million units last year. expecting to boost the figure by 45%. but it is not all good news for japanese automakers. production lines at a toyota

factory in south africa have come to a halt. striking workers at a local supplier causing a lack of key parts. the toyota motor assembly plant in the city of durbin stopped its production lines last week. workers at the company's car seat factory are demanding a wage hike. toyota supplies the seats. its officials are in talks with the local labor union but say they aren't sure when output can resume. this is not the first time it was forced to close. it was shuttered for several days earlier this month when its own workers staged a strike. labor issues in emerging economies continue to pose a challenge to japanese makers with overseas operations. bank of japan officials are struggling with whether to ease credit further amid the global economic slowdown. the question will be high on their agenda at next tuesday's policy meeting. central bank officials are suspecting existing programs aren't enough to achieve their goal of 1% inflation by march 2015.

the target is to tackle deflation and achieve stable growth. in a branch managers meeting on monday officials confirmed domestic economic activity is on the decline. they agree the slowdown in china and other economies are weighing down on japan's production in exports. they also noted personal spending is no longer as resilient as it once was. at their previous policy meeting in september, bank officials decided to boost their asset purchase program by nearly 15% to over $1 trillion. the focus now is whether they'll hammer out additional measures. japanese food producers can look forward to easier access to europe. eu officials will ease import restrictions posed after the fukushima nuclear disaster. the eu currently requires inspection of japanese food to satisfy radioactive materials

are within safety standards. the regulation covers tokyo and 11 of japan's 47 administrative regions. eu experts decided on monday to relax the requirement from november 1st for all but eight food items they include tea, rice and seafood. an import ban will continue until march 2014. all items from fukushima prefecture where the nuclear plant is located. officials say they will examine radioactivity levels in samples from next year's harvest. officials at russia's largest state run oil company say they have agreed in principle to acquire an entire stake in the country's third largest oil firm. they will buy out tnk-bp, joint venture between british oil giant bp, and a rush owned company. if the deal goes ahead, the company will account for about 40% of russia's oil output. it will also become the world's

largest energy firm. bp expects to gain $12.3 billion cash from the deal. the british firm will buy stock from the russian government bringing its stake in the company to around 20%. it is also expected to send two executives to the company. president putin says the deal is huge and positive. he stressed its importance not just for russia's energy sector but for the entire russian e skon me. -- economy. gray skies for german industrial and engineering giant, quitting the solar energy business. low demand and falling prices mean they can't see a good return on investment. siemens officials are negotiating to sell their solar power businesses. they say they will concentrate renewable energy efforts on wind and hydroelectric power generation. the firm plans to continue developing solar related

technology. such as turbines and power generations. german firms have been struggling to build a domestic solar business. the country's largest solar battery maker went bankrupt in april. chinese manufacturers have grabbed most of the solar panel market. they're outshining the germans on price. people in many parts of the world have to work to do something most people take for granted. to drink water. the global market for waste water and desaliniization worth $1 trillion. japan led the way infiltration technology and holds a 40% share of the global market. but its dominance is facing a challenge. the technologies and hardware were on display in south korea last month. and they attended an exhibition organized by the international

walt e water association. the first time for an event of this kind to be held in south korea. >> translator: walter shortages are becoming an our eurgenter t. we can increase the watt scary ply, advancing technologies and invigorating businesses. >> one of the exhibitors was samsung, south korea's largest conglomerate. it recently announced it has developed a highly sophisticated water filter and it is entering the water treatment business in earnest.

the key area that the south korean companies are focusing on is desalination technology. their goal is to deliver all facilities in which the components from water filters to pumping equipment are manufactured entirely in south korea. the south korean government identified water purification as a key sector. it foresees growing demand in the middle east and africa and is planning to create 40,000 jobs in the sector over the next five years. >> translator: we're looking for tie-ups with any countries interested in our experience and technologies. rather than going alone, we intend to work with ministries of the environment, foreign affairs, and trade. >> reporter: this man is the president of a water treatment facility maker in osaka. his company's award-winning equipment for pumping out ground water is used around the world. he is a regular exhibiter at events organized by the international water association, and he has used this prestigious status to boost his sales around the world. now, though, the south korean companies look like becoming formidable rivals. >> translator: south korea has done in three years what it took

us ten years to do in japan. they've caught up with us. >> reporter: he is keen to promote the advanced technology produced in japan. he wants to persuade the iwa to open a branch in japan. he is the only executive of a japanese company invited to the reception for the trade fair. he takes this opportunity to pitch his idea for the iwa branch in japan. >> translator: it would be much easier if the japanese government were involved rather than me doing the talking. but actually the government would rather cut spending on this kind of initiative. i'm worried japan may get left behind. an italian regional court found seven earthquake experts guilty of manslaughter. they failed to warn of a quake in 2009 that rocked central italy.

the judge sentenced them to six years in prison, longer than their prosecutors had requested. the experts served on a national commission to assess the likelihood of earthquakes. but they didn't foresee a magnitude 6.3 quake that devastated the city of l'aquila. it killed 300 people and injured around 1,600. the defendants published a risk assessment six days before the quake. they said it was unlikely a quake would hit the area in the near future. prosecutors said the report convinced some people to stay in their homes believing the quake was minor. some of the victims' relatives cheered the verdict. >> translator: i think today's verdict was the right sentence. i want to make sure that this kind of tragedy doesn't ever

happen again. >> the defendants pleaded not guilty. they stress that the prediction was merely a best guess. >> translator: it's unjust in every conceivable way. we will appeal the verdict and prove our innocence. >> lawyers for the defense plan to appeal. scientists, not just those in italy, watched the proceedings with concern. they say the ruling could restrict their ability to do their jobs. yamaoka heads the earthquake and volcano research center at nagoya university. he said seismologists find it difficult to predict seismic activity accurately. he said scientists have to be able to speak their minds without fear of blame. spokespersons for the american association for the advancement of science say they're worried the ruling may influence everyone who works in the field. they warn such charges could hinder society as a whole if scientists feel nervous about disclosing the results of their research.

japan and indonesia both have firsthand experience with earthquakes and tsunami. at a recent event, japanese experts explained how to minimize disasters using technology. experts from both countries, discussed the technology at a seminar in jakarta, a day before the fifth asian ministerial conference on disaster risk reduction. the japan international cooperation agency was one of the sponsors. learned about people who successfully evacuate from the tsunami in northeastern japan last year. they received digital broadcasts on their mobile phones warning them to fee. reported on a feasibility test of the technology in indonesia. it was conducted by japan's communications ministry. many businesspeople don't

he didn't something he doesn't normally do. he spoke with local and foreign media. the president fielded questions, during the event. it ran over two hours. [ inaudible ] >> he talked about the future role of opposition leader, and it would be up to her.

the hard feelings have spread where the chinese have been part of the community for a long time. now, now. >> organized by local chinese like him.

>> i want everyone to know the history of the chinese living here. developing close relations with the japanese. >> he has all wways been part o the local community making lots of japanese friends. after a massive earthquake hit kobe in 1995, he sprang into action. he rounded up supplies for evacuees, sherlgt ltering in a l for chinese. >> i did it as an individual. it was all about personal ties. whether you were japanese or chinese, it was irrelevant. we are, and will be part of the local community. that's why i value my friendship with my japanese neighbors. >> but last month, the island dispute sent anti-japanese demonstrators into the chinese city. and in kobe, a school for chinese nationals was torched.

and played havoc with the japanese-chinese friendship event, he was organizing. >> it was canceled, just so you know, it is just too bad. that's the way it is. >> the event was to have marked the anniversary of normal ties between japan and china. a chinese from the mainland was to have given a speech but her office canceled it. >> i don't think we can hold the event. at least not this year. there is nothing we can do about it. it's just too bad. >> december 29th, the same day the normalization went into effect, 40 years ago. he held a gathering. it was the annual viewing of the men at a chinese temple. 200 people packed the room. both chinese and japanese attended. he felt it was high time to

strengthen the global types. it was just like it used to be in happier times. >> china and japan have political differences. but here -- we can shut them out. i am glad to be here -- sharing the meal with the chinese. during 40 years of normal ties, things some times got out of hand. like now. both people need to meet the challenge by reaching out on a personal basis. >> he hopes differences between the two governments will not interfere with the relationship between the chinese and japanese residents. hundreds of tourists gathered at a temple in egypt to watch a solar phenomenon. the rays of the sun enter the factory twice a year.

more than 500 tourists from around the world lined up after mid night to see the phenomenon. sun light filled the temple's inner sanctum at 6:00 a.m. and illuminated statues of gods and the kings. the turpiourists made their way forward. the tourist industry suffered a declean becau decline. no sign of sunshine over here in tokyo. raising on and off, tuesday afternoon. and time now to check the world weather forecast. hi, heavy rain targeting the eastern half of japan. we have reports of, 43 millimeters of rain per hour in the prefecture right here. and, gusts of 100 kilometers per hour. we have warnings and watches for thunderstorms, strong wind, heavy rain as well as -- a high

along the coast. waves could hit 5 meters along the northwest coast. good news, the system will move quickly out of the japan, out over japan. and sunny skies, i should say, clear skies, will be returning to much of japan by this evening. but, as the rain passes through, cooler air comes in. that is going to produce snow showers in the mountains across japan. out toward the west, dry, chilly for the northern peninsula. down towards the south. a tropical depression east of the rear undgion will become a and move through the philippines over 72 hours or so. manila will turn stormy on thursday. heaviest rain is going to be found along the eastern seaboard. more than 120 millimeters of rain is likely. that is certainly not the cause of flooding as well as landslides. moving into the americas then, winter storm is, have been battering the western u.s. and western canada.

lots of snow in the mountains. and heavy showers along the coast. the heaviest snowfall is going to be found in the canadian rockies on tuesday. as much as a 45 centimeters likely. even the lower elevations of alberta, and sa saskatchewan will be receiving snow showers. things are looking quite different down towards the south. we have a tropical activity, over the central caribbean. this is tropical storm, sandy. right now. stationary. but will be speeding up for the next couple of days. and becoming a hurricane by wednesday. it looks like it is going to move through or get close to jamaica. by wednesday. and then head for eastern -- cuba as well as bahamas into friday. tropical storm force winds are expected to be in jamaica by tuesday night. heavy rain is going to pound across many low cases as much as 250 millimeters, likely, for a wide area, and locally 400 millimeters. watch out for mudslides and flsh floo

-- flash floods. next several days. let's go to europe. the fog is blanketing parts of europe. this is the footage coming out of polllanand. flights were canceled at poland's main airport. early monday. many passengers were stranded. not only polan. par -- not only poland. also experiencing the same situation. overnight cooling. combined with relatively warm, cooling air coming in from the ocean. as the temperature rised during the daytime hours. fog will be dissipating. meanwhile, a big storm is approaching from the atlantic to the iberian peninsula from the next several days. from the north, very wet, windy, snow showers are likely across the scandinavian peninsula. the system will sag toward southeast. as it does so, temperatures will, for example in moscow, only 2 degrees expected. today, and, 14 degrees in berlin. seasonal at this moment. but we'll be plunging into the

single digits. as we head into the saturday here. here is your extended forecast.

our top story at this hour once again, barack obama and mitt romney faced off in boca raton in florida, in their final debate of the presidential election campaign. they exchanged differing views about foreign policy two weeks before americans go to the polls. we ended the war in iraq. refocused our attention on those who actually killed us, on 9/11. and as a consequence, al qaeda's core leadership has been decimated. in addition, we are now able to transition out of afghanistan

and in a responsible way, making sure that afghans take responsibility for their own secure. >> what has been happening over the last couple years since we watched this tumult in the middle east, this rising tide of chaos occurred. you see -- al qaeda rushing in. you see other jihadist groups rushing in. and, and there throughout many nations in the middle east. >> they argued, that in libya, syria and iran among other places. romney criticized obama's foreign policy as a failure. and said the u.s. should take a leading role. a cnn poll taken right after the debates, 48% of respondents believed obama won. 40% said romney did. and that's all for now on this edition of "newsline." i'm yuko aotani in tokyo. thaek ve thank you very much for joining us.